Ohio State will forever have a place in John Peterson’s heart, but not during four quarters of football on Saturday.

Peterson, who is from Middletown, played offensive line for the Buckeyes, served as a graduate assistant for them for two years after graduating in 1991, and had spent the past eight seasons as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator.

“I spent 15 years as a coach or player at Ohio State, and I’m very, very fond of the people there and what that place stands for,” Peterson said.

Although he bleeds scarlet and gray, Peterson’s employer now is Alabama-Birmingham, meaning he will be on the opposing sideline on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Peterson, 44, was hired as the UAB offensive line coach in January after not being retained by new OSU coach Urban Meyer.

“I knew what Urban was looking for and knew I wasn’t fitting into the puzzle, and that was fine,” Peterson said. “I understand the business. He had to formulate a staff in his mind and move forward. A lot of good people I know transitioned in there.”

Mutual friends introduced Peterson to first-year UAB coach Garrick McGee, who offered a job. Taking it meant uprooting from the only home he has known.

Peterson had always lived in Ohio, serving as an assistant coach at Akron (1995-98) and Miami University (1999-2003) before joining Jim Tressel’s staff at Ohio State in 2004. His wife, Michelle, is also from Middletown. Their sons, Austin, 16, and Cole, 14, were entrenched in school and the community.

“They’ve really been the main support and rock since I made this transition,” Peterson said of his family. “They sacrificed by leaving a great number of friends in Columbus that we’re still in contact with.”

UAB (0-2) began playing football in 1991 and has had only three winning seasons and one bowl trip since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996.

“To be part of a program starting from scratch again and being part of the process of building a program from the ground up is very challenging, but also very rewarding,” Peterson said.

The entire athletic department at UAB has a budget of $24 million — that’s how much Ohio State gave Meyer in a six-year contract — for 18 varsity sports.

“The game of football is still about blocking and tackling as an offense or defense, no matter what kind of field you’re on, whether it’s a multimillion-dollar practice facility or a grass field at the end of campus,” Peterson said. “You’ve still got to teach the fundamentals of football.”

Peterson has enjoyed the spirit and work ethic of his offensive linemen and all the UAB players. Helping them to improve and try to get a win is his priority on returning to Columbus this weekend.

“I’m sure seeing friends and family before the game and those kinds of thing will bring up some emotions,” he said. “But I’ve got a job to do, and that’s to coach the offensive line and see what we can do for 60 minutes. I know at the end of the day there will be a lot of great friends and great memories. I’m very proud of the accomplishments we had when I was at Ohio State.”tjones@dispatch.com